GPS-tagged vulture sparks security alert

A GPS-tagged vulture near Karwar Kali river valley in Karnataka on Sunday triggered security concerns, as it was spotted just 5km away from the INS Kadamba naval base . Inquiries though revealed that the Maharashtra forest department had fitted the tracking device on the bird for research purposes. Local residents photographed the bird, drawing the attention of forest officers .

This followed a joint investigation by police, forest department, and central intelligence agencies . Inquiries revealed that the GPS device was tagged to the vulture by the Bombay Natural History Society , a recognised conservation agency. Forest officers contacted their counterparts in Maharashtra and told them GPS tracking device was fitted on the vulture to study its areas of movement.